Tails' Tale
by Miles Tails Prower1
Summary: CHPT 7 UP! Robotink finds Knothole Village! Amy is Robotnik's hostage! Tails is Roboticized! An eighth Chaos Emerald?(all this is not done yet) Strange things happen on Mobius when a mysterious being shows up in Knothole. Plz R
1. The Beginning

Tails' Tale

By Miles "Tails" Prower

  


My Ramblings

Hi Hi! My name is Alex. Anyway, this is my first fan fic. Ever. I'm not sure if you'll like it or not, or how good it is, so please review, good, bad, whatever. I need all the feedback I can get. Most characters are © Sega, but the occasional one is mine, i.e. Void. I've probably bored ya enough now, soooo… ON WITH THE ADVENTURE!!!

  


**The Storm**

Tails was getting restless. It had been raining all week, and he was bored of being stuck inside. There had been absolutely nothing to do at all. He had already made up his mind about what he wanted to do to take some of the stress away after the long hours of confinement. He was going to go for a run, or fly; he didn't really care as long as he got out of the house. He could hear the tapping of Sonic's favorite white-striped red sneakers from the other room. As he started walking towards the door, a voice called out to him.

"Hey T2! Where ya goin?" It was Sonic. Sonic and Tails had been best friends, and even practically brothers for the longest time. Sonic was a blue hedgehog gifted with the ability to run at the speed of sound.

Tails smiled at the mention of his old nickname. It had started when Sonic had found him back in his devastated hometown when he was just a little fox. Sonic had noticed Tails' double tails, and dubbed him "T2". Somehow, the name had stuck, through all those years.

"I just need to get out and about for awhile." Tails replied.

"Alright," came Sonic's voice "but don't be gone too long."

"Okay Sonic. I'll be back after a while."

"Later Tails."

When Tails stepped outside, he tried to figure out where he wanted to go. Absent-mindedly, he started walking. Tails had more than a little on his mind that day, and his thoughts had turned towards Amy Rose, a pink hedgehog who had a crush on Sonic. Tails had always liked Amy, but had always been too shy to say so, and also, she liked Sonic...

_"It's been a full year, and I still haven't gotten around to telling her how I feel._" thought Tails.

"_Why can I never get up the courage? Still, once I get around to telling her, what if she says no?"_

Tails, realizing where his feet were taking him, and deciding it was as good a direction as any, kept walking, once again lost in thought.

"_Hmmm... It's been really quiet lately... almost too quiet. It seems like Robotnik should've made another attempt to find Knothole by now… I can't even remember the last time he tried…hmm…"_

"Hey Tails!" came a bubbly singsong voice. 

Startled, Tails looked up, almost walking straight into Amy.

"Amy! Hi!" Tails said surprised anyone else would be out in this weather. Amy seemed not to notice that he almost bumped into her, so he decided not to bring it up.

"So, umm, what've you been up to?" asked Tails.

"Not much," Amy replied "I needed to get out of my hut for a while, how about you?"

"Pretty much the same reason I'm out here." replied Tails.

"Yeah, I figured."

Tails sat down on a stump nearby, and started trying to get up the courage to tell Amy.

"_I _*am*_ going to say it this time." _thought Tails.

"Tails? Is something wrong?" asked Amy.

"Wha? Oh, umm... nothing Amy." Tails replied in a tone he thought was less-than-convincing.

"Oh. You just looked, well... troubled for a minute there." Amy shrugged, figuring that if it was anything big, Tails would have told her.

"_I still think he seemed occupied with something for a minute there, and I'm going to find out what it was."_ she thought.

"Hey Tails?"

"Yeah Amy?"

"You wanna come inside? I can't stand much more of this rain right now."

Tails shrugged.

"I guess so." He replied.

"_Shoot!"_ Tails thought to himself. "_Now I can't do it… I'll have to wait until next time. I just hope I'll be _able _to tell her._"

*********

Princess Sally Acorn was not quite a chipmunk, and not quite a squirrel, but somewhere in between. She had lost her father and mother, King and Queen Acorn, and her brother Elias early in life. Robotnik had captured her father, and, as far as anyone knew, Queen Acorn and Elias had just disappeared. She was leader of the Freedom Fighters, and extremely close to Sonic.

Sally had been in the Knothole library, pouring over any information she could find on the other freedom Fighter groups since the night before.

"Princess? Don't you zink you should take just a _leetle_ rest or somezing?" It was Antoine the fox, Sally's personal (and somewhat cowardly) bodyguard.

Sally yawned, and stood up from where she had been sitting behind a pile of books.

"Maybe you're right Antoine, maybe I should take a rest." Sally said.

Antoine sighed with relief. Sally had been, in his opinion, working herself way too hard in the past few days.

"Princess, did you find anyzing new in ze books?"

"Not really Antoine. Nothing certain anyway. See you later."  Sally yawned as she headed out the door.


	2. Robotropolis

Robotropolis

Back in Robotropolis, Robotnik was busy making the final touches to his latest attempt to find Knothole, and of course, do something about that meddling hedgehog, Sonic.

"HAHAHAHA! Soon, I will be rid of Sonic, and all the rest of the so-called Freedom Fighters!" Robotnik gloated.

"SNIVELY! Where are you?"

********

Snively hated his cousin Robotnik with a passion, but was too afraid to do anything about it. Secretly, he hoped that either Sonic would destroy Robotnik, or Robotnik would make a fatal mistake, and he, Snively, (in his opinion) the rightful dictator of Mobius, would be able to take over.

********

"SNIVELY!" Robotnik was getting irritated now. When he called that no-good cousin of his, he expected an answer right away. Robotnik never was very patient, even with his "family".

********

"C-C-C-Coming, your G-Greatness"

Oh! How Snively wished Robotnik's day would come...and soon!

********

"_Finally," _thought Robotnik_ "took him long enough."_

"Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes sir?"

"Snively! Download _The Program_!"

'_The Program_' was the secret weapon Robotnik had been working on for the past few weeks. He had suspected Snively was up to something, so he had put one of his security measures on it, and changed it daily. Just to make double sure Snively didn't get into _The Program_, Robotnik would only let Snively do anything with it if, and only if, it was absolutely necessary. If _The Program_ worked, he would finally be rid of that pesky hedgehog...Forever!

  


**Emerald Hills**

The rain had finally let up in Knothole, and Sonic had decided to take a run in the Emerald Hills.

_"Wow..."_ Sonic thought, watching the scenery as he ran. _"I can never get over how pretty the Hills look at this time of year. Man, I oughta bring Sally here on a picnic or vacation or something."_

After being stuck in the hut for a week, with nothing to do, Sonic had energy to burn. After doing a few loops and jumps, He remembered that he hadn't seen Knuckles for about a month.

_"I wonder how ol' Knuckle-head is doing these days"_ he thought. "_I think I'll pay him a visit."_

Sonic changed his course, and headed for the teleporter that lead to the Floating Island.


	3. Up, Over, and Gone on Vacation

**The Floating Island**

Up on Angel Island, more commonly known to Mobians as the Floating Island, Knuckles was guarding the Master Emerald, and the Chaos Emeralds as well.

Knuckles was a red Echidna, with long dreadlocks, a useful gliding ability and knuckles like iron that he used for climbing, digging, and punching. He could punch through almost anything in his way.

Overall, it was pretty dull work. Usually, guard duty was about as interesting as counting grass. Sure, they were nice to look at, and Knuckles didn't doubt they'd make great paperweights, but other than just sitting there, the Emeralds didn't do much. Sometimes though, a Chaos Emerald would "blink out", or teleport itself somewhere on the island, and he'd have to go find the stupid thing again. It seemed like they did this to annoy him.

If he were having a _really_ bad day, another Emerald would probably have "blinked out" by the time he got back with the other. Knuckles still couldn't forget the time when all seven of them "chain-blinked" on him... in a row. It had taken him a full day to find them all, and he finally got them back to the shrine about midnight.

"_Hmmph. I sure could use someone to talk to. I wonder what Sonic is up to these days..."_

Knuckles always tried to get along with Sonic, but Sonic… well... Sonic was a whole different story. It seemed as if Sonic _liked_ irritating him... sometimes.

Knuckles yawned. He had been on duty since that morning, and nothing had happened yet.

"_I think I'll take a short nap... Mighty, Espio, and Vector won't know."_ he thought, as he got comfortable, leaning against the Master Emerald's shrine.

Knuckles, like the rest of the Chaotix, had a habit of napping when the others weren't around. He had nothing better to do, so what was the harm?

********

When Sonic landed on the Floating Island, he ran off to the Shrine where the Emeralds were kept, stirring up leaves and dust in his wake, figuring that that's where ol' Knux would most likely be. He reached the Shrine relatively quickly, considering he was going slow... or what he defined as slow anyway. Sonic walked inside, looking around for Knux.

"_Where is that knuckle head anyways?"_

Sonic spotted Knuckles fast asleep against the Master Emerald's shrine, his arms crossed over his chest, his hat and sunglasses down. Sonic tapped Knuckles gently on the shoulder.

"Knux? You in there?"

Knuckles, surprised someone had got in without his knowing, had jumped a foot in the air, and caused Sonic to stumble back a few feet.

"What? Who's there?!"

"Yo, Knux, chill man."

Knuckles sighed with relief.

"Sonic! Don't scare me like that!"

Sonic laughed.

"Wait, _I_ scared _you_? I thought it was the other way around."

In spite of himself, Knuckles started laughing too.

"Hey Knux, I thought you were supposed to be guarding, not sleeping?"

"Nice to see you again too, Sonic." Knuckles replied, "How is everyone back in Knothole?"

"Everyone's doing great. Tails and Amy are spending a _lot_ of time together... and you know what?"

"What?"

Sonic smiled, and whispered something in Knuckles' ear.

"THEY WHAT?!?" Knuckles yelled in surprise.

Sonic nodded, smiling.

"Well, well... Amy and Tails, together. I never would've seen that coming in a million years." Knuckles said with a smirk.

"Mind you, that's only a guess." Sonic reminded him.

Knuckles just shook his head.

"So Sonic, you up for a race?" Knuckles asked deciding to change the subject.

"You're kiddin', right Knux? You know I could beat you any day of the week."

"You? Beat me? Ha! We'll see about that." Knuckles laughed.

"You're on! First one to get from here to the Casino Zone and back with fifty rings, wins."

"Deal." Knuckles held out his hand and they shook on it.

"No cheating!" they both said at the same time.

Sonic and Knuckles did some stretches, and bent down beside each other facing the Casino Zone.

"GO!" they both yelled, and they were off in a cloud of dust and leaves.


	4. Roses are Pink

Emerald Picnic

Tails was finishing up the last of the packing when he heard Amy calling him in her singsong voice.

"Ta-ils! Are you done yet?"

Tails smiled. In a few minutes, he and Amy would be headed for the Emerald Hills for a picnic. He had been planning it for weeks, but had only asked Amy just recently. She had replied with her usual perpetual happiness, and, of course, a 'yes'.

"Almost Amy!" he replied.

"Hurry Tails!"

Tails just shook his head.

"_Okay Tails,_" he told himself "_you can do this. Just stay cool._"

"Coming!" Tails shouted.

********

Tails was having the time of his life. Everything had gone smoothly, without any interruptions.

Amy was enjoying herself, looking at the flowers, having finished eating, and he was just lying back, looking at the clouds drifting casually across the sapphire-blue sky.

"Hey Amy, can I tell you something...private?"

This was it, the big moment. He had been trying to tell her this for... how long had it been?

"Sure Tails!" Amy sang. "What is it?"

"I've been wanting to tell you for a long time now..."

"What's that?" 

Tails started blushing.

"I...er...that is...I mean..." he stammered.

Amy gave him a questioning look.

"IloveyouAmy." Tails spat out.

"Huh? You said that too fast Tails."

"I love you." He repeated, and handed Amy some flowers he had picked earlier.

"_There, I said it_." Tails thought.

Now it was Amy's turn to blush.

"I...I...I don't know what to say Tails..." Amy stammered.

"I've been trying to get up the courage to tell you that for almost a year now." Tails said, dragging his foot across the ground.

"Is that what you were doing the other day? Were you trying to tell me?" Amy asked.

"Yeah... I was."

"Tails? I've got something to tell you now."

Tails looked up.

"Yeah?"

"I feel the same way."

Tails looked startled.

"But I thought you were after Sonic?"

"I know... but that was just a crush... besides, Sonic likes Sally."

Tails smiled "You sure fooled me Amy."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I thought you were really after him."

"Nope."

Tails gave Amy a kiss, and they started back to Knothole.


	5. Movin' on

Author's Notes:   
  
*glances at reviews* Hmm… either y'all don't like my story, or just aren't   
  
bothering to review, both of which make me less inspired to work on the   
  
good part. I am seriously considering ending this right here if reviews don't   
  
pick up, so if you like it and want me to do otherwise, you know what to do.   
  
I'll probably give it 'till I finish chapter 6 before I end it, which'll be a few   
  
weeks, so y'all have 'till then to convince me otherwise.  
  
********  
  
The Race  
  
"Ha!" Sonic thought as he passed another group of clouds in the Sky   
  
Sanctuary Zone. "Ol' Knux is so far behind, he'll never catch up."  
  
The course Sonic had chosen led around the far edge of the Sky   
  
Sanctuary Zone, along the slopes of the Ice Cap zone, up to the Casino   
  
Zone, also known as Happyland Amusement Park by some.  
  
Sonic already had fifteen of the fifty rings he needed, and he planned   
  
to do some heavy "collecting" in the Casino Zone. As Sonic jumped a   
  
sudden gap, he snagged two more rings.  
  
********  
  
The route Knuckles had chosen led up Mount Thunder, and was   
  
gliding the rest of the way to the Casino Zone.  
  
"Okay, that's twenty. Thirty to go, and I know just the place."   
  
Knuckles thought as he grabbed another ring out of the air. Knuckles had   
  
been climbing for a good ten minutes since the start of the race, and had   
  
made good progress. He could already see the snow capped peak of Mount   
  
Thunder.  
  
"Time for some gliding."  
  
Knuckles jumped off the mountain and started gliding to a secret ring   
  
area he knew of on the way to the Casino Zone.  
  
********  
  
"YEEEHAW!!!!" Sonic yelled out loud as he passed another icicle   
  
grotto on the snow-covered slopes of Ice Cap. "I LOVE snowboarding!"  
  
He had made good progress. He had got another eight rings bringing   
  
his total up to twenty-five, and he was halfway through the frigid Ice Cap   
  
Zone.  
  
"I wonder how 'ol Knuckle head is doing?" Sonic thought as he   
  
busted up another of King Cholesterol's badnik's that had become so   
  
common over the few years he'd been on the throne. "That's one more for   
  
the scrap heap. You know? I actually feel sorry for these dumb 'bots…   
  
They can't do a thing without ol' buttnik sayin so…" 


	6. Hidden in Shadows

Hidden in Shadows

A/R: Okay, first off, apologies. Last time I had serious writers block, and a busy life to boot, so I was a little touchy. I have no intention of discontinuing this story, save the non-permanent times between chapters. Some of you have said I need longer chapters, so I'm working on that as I go, just a heads up. Also, if you guys have no clue what Rotor's talking about, don't worry, neither do I. ^^; I'm changing from Word to Notepad as I get it ready, since for some reason Word's html documents don't work correctly in ff.net. *thinks* _Anything else I need to say?_ *lightbulb* Right! Almost forgot, my thanks to all of you who reminded me that I still have to finish this, and if it seems slow, I had planned on short, but numerous chapters (probably about 20 and counting) and I have _some_ ideas that need refining. Also, the things in the little summary I have planned for after the "mysterious visitor" bit, so if they seem late in coming, that's what's happened. I've said my part, so here's the next part of the story.

********

"Go forth my creation! Find Knothole!" Robotnik ordered his new robot, which he had "affectionately" or at least, as affectionately as Robotnik can get, named 'Void'. Void did not look like a normal Swatbot, no, instead, it was made along the same lines as Hyper Metal Sonic and Silver Sonic, thus in Sonic's image. Still, Robotnik being no great artist*, it still looked vaguely like a machine.

"It's a miserable piece of trash..." Snively murmured under his breath.

"WHAT WAS THAT SNIVELY?!" yelled Robotnik.

"I-I-I said it would have some serious backlash, sir." Snively quickly covered up. "...You miserable toad." he added under his breath.

"WHAT?!"

"I said I'd get your robe." Snively snarled.

"No Snively, I want you here to witness the revealing of Knothole."

Snively sighed with relief. He had never meant to get Ivo's robe anyways, so that had been a lucky break. Right then, Void set off to carry out his master's orders.

********

Night had fallen, and both Sonic and Knuckles had made good progress. Sonic had had excellent fortune in Casino Night Zone, and was far past the fifty-ring minimum with about four hundred. He loved it when he hit the jackpot. Knuckles had found his secret ring stash, and had also made it beyond the fifty mark. In fact, Sonic was already on his way back through the Ice Cap Zone, and Knuckles wasn't far behind.

"Alright, now I just have to make it back. Heh, this'll be a cinch." Sonic was feeling quite pleased with himself, no one had ever out run him yet, and it wasn't gonna happen now, especially not Knuckles. He looked back, just out of curiosity wondering how far behind Knux was.

"Wha? What's that?" Sonic put a hand up to his eyes and focused his gaze on a cloud of dust and snow.

"What on Mobius... that's... Knuckles!" Sonic almost tripped over a snowdrift when he realized that Knuckles was close behind him... and, somehow, impossibly, gaining!

********

"Ha! I've got you now, Sonic!" Knuckles thought to himself "I'm not going to lose this time!" Knuckles was running flat out at top speed, and the strangest thing was... Sonic was getting closer!

********

By now, the two friends were going neck and neck for the finish line. As Knuckles looked to see how much farther it was to the finish, he saw Vector the Crocodile, Espio the Chameleon, and Mighty the Armadillo cheering him on. He could just make out what they were saying over the noise of the wind rushing past.

"Come on Knux m'man!"

"You can do it!"

"You're gaining on him!"

Knuckles smiled and waved back. Just then, he noticed something glinting in the moonlight. He looked over to see what it was. A Chaos Emerald!

"Ah, crud, not again… I'll get it later..." he thought to himself.

********

Void had been searching for most of the day, and had covered the outskirts of the Great Forest, but still had had no sign of Knothole. Besides, how was he supposed to look for something he didn't even know what it looked like? Okay, so he knew it would most likely be organic, but nearly everything outside Robotropolis was. The trials of being a robot…

[POWER OUTPUT: 20%... BACK-UP POWER SOURCE: EMTPY... MOTION OUTPUT TEMPERATURE: HIGH... INTITATE TIME-POWER DOWN... SET POWER ON TIME: MORNING... ACTIVATE POWER RECHARGE: YES... SYSTEM POWER DOWN.............]

********

"Well I finally did it. And she said the same thing… I wonder how long she's felt the same way… Today was great, the picnic went perfect…" Tails thought, as he got ready for bed. "Where's Sonic? He should be here"

********

Sonic couldn't believe it! Knuckles had beaten him! Impossible! It had always been the other way around every other time, why should this time be different?

_"Wait… Something's fishy here… he did seem a bit overconfident earlier when he suggested it… hmm…"_

"Hey Sonic! I saw a Chaos Emerald back in the bushes a ways back while we were racing, could you help me find it again?" Knuckles asked.

"An Emerald? Of course I'll help look."

"Thanks Sonic, follow me" Knuckles called back.

********

"Hmm… It ought to be about…here." Knuckles said skidding to a stop about fifty feet from the finish line. "Okay... Sonic, You look over there" he pointed left "Espio, you look off that way" pointing right "Mighty? You search off that way" backwards this time "Vector?"

"Yo! M'man!"

Knuckles glared at Vector.

"…Sorry, Knux."

"Vector, you look that way" indicating a little bit forwards and to the right "I'll get some air and see if I can see it."

Everyone nodded, and spread out, to find the Emerald.

"Uhh.. Knux? M'man?"

"What Vector…?" Knuckles asked, annoyed.

"Which one was it?"

_"Doh… I was so busy racing I forgot to check its color…"_

"Which one was it?" Vector repeated.

"I… don't know…" Knuckles replied sheepishly. "I was caught up in the race…"

Everyone stopped looking and turned to look at Knuckles.

"KNUCKLES!!!" came four voices as one.

"What? At least it's only one… the other six are still at the shrine." Knuckles said, quickly getting airborne.

********

Rotor the walrus was busy tinkering away in his workshop back in Knothole. He had been working on a new Roboticizer since the old one had been destroyed back when Sonic's uncle, Uncle Chuck had been de-roboticized. 

"Hmm… something's missing…" Rotor thought as he inspected the project. "Let's see…Bio-scanner…Physics-fluxuator…Electro-magnetic pulse generator for calming the 'bots down…hmm…what am I missing? I think everything's here…"

Rotor had just about finished assuring himself that everything was there when he noticed a bundle of open wires about the size of a remote control he'd left hanging.

"That's right! I still need the Energy Modulator! …But where to get one…"

* * *


	7. And so it Starts

Outside the Great Forest, Void was resuming his search for Knothole. It had turned out to be a dreary day, and he was impatient to start searching the inner sectors of the area soon, for more reasons than just fear of Robotnik.

Bzzt... Visual systems on... Audio systems on... Motion Systems Activated... All systems online... bzzt

As Void started into the inner regions of the Great Forest, he considered his chances of getting a description of what he was looking for.

_[I wonder if I should contact Robotnik and ask what it looks like... Probably not... He'd just get angry and might re-program me...]_ Void thought as he passed a small, crystal blue lake muttering Knothole... Knothole....

********

Moments later, a mysterious being garbed in a hooded gray robe and many shadows dropped down from the treetops that she had been observing Void from, taking care not to disturb the stillness that hung in the air. "_Knothole? Could this be the Knothole I'm looking for?_" wondered the newcomer as she set off after the robot, pulling her hood farther up over her ears to keep off the rain.

"_Better check it out_."

********

Tails had slept in somewhat late that morning, and was reluctant to get up. It was just one of those sleepy days, where the atmosphere seemed to slow everyone down. Looking out the window of his hut, he saw that winter would soon come. The leaves had begun to turn magnificent shades of brown, yellow, orange, red, and pink, with varying brightness, and the temperature was obviously dropping. Today though, they all seemed to look darker shades of their respective colors than usual, due to the rain. In fact, Tails wouldn't've been surprised if it decided to snow soon.

Slipping his running shoes on, he decided to go out for a bit, to try and shake off the sullen, depressed feeling that seemed to linger in the air.

********

The rain had even begun to get to Snively and Robotnik. Snively sat in his swivel chair watching the monitors half-asleep, and cursing the poor excuse for coffee that the robots made. In an aside to himself, he made a mental note to tell his uncle about that…but not right now.

King Cholesterol, meanwhile, snoozed fitfully in his chair, dreaming of all the times that blasted hedgehog had gotten in his way, and what he would do when the rodent was gone. At that thought, Robotnik grinned. Oh how he'd make them suffer for all the damage they'd done. Perhaps he might even make an example or two…yes…that's what he would do.

After some thought, he decided that Princess Acorn and that two tailed freak would do nicely, and went on to dream up how he would torture them in front of the handful of Mobians that called themselves 'Freedom Fighters'.

********

Back in the Great Forest, the mysterious gray-clothed figure was slowly making her way through the forest, shivering from the cold. Having lost track of Void some time ago, she wandered in a semi-random path, although considerably slower. She stopped before a small cliff and leaned on one of the many dull neon trees to catch her breath. A sudden dizziness spell came over her, forcing her to rest on an old hollow tree near the edge of the mini-cliff.

"_Oooooh… I don't feel that good… I sure hope I find Knothole soon, then maybe I'll—_"

********

Tails relaxed on the bank of a small lake, watching the ripples made by the falling rain upon the cobalt blue water. He had been out most of the day, and it was starting to get late, so he decided to head on back to Knothole. After making a mental note of how he had found the area, he started the trek back home.

Tails could only guess how close he was to Knothole since he'd gone a different way than usual, but he guessed that he was going in the general direction of the old oak slide that was a secret entrance to Knothole. Brushing aside some overgrown bushes, he stepped into a familiar small clearing with a pool near the center that bubbled not due to the rain, but due to the energy of the machine that created Power Rings. Some of them anyway, sometimes he'd find one that wasn't obviously created by the machine, but Rings were most common at the Ring Spring.

Pushing aside the greenery that hid the slide from view, Tails froze. Not a foot from the slide laid an outsider sprawled on the ground, having fainted. The figure's hood had fallen off, revealing the amber face of a fox. Something tugged at the back of Tails' memory at the sight of her, but was too shy to reveal itself just yet.

Part of Tails wanted to take her into the village for medical attention, but the other part of him was suspicious of what she was doing there in the first place. Eventually he decided that he'd take her to Knothole, but only until he knew who she was… and what she was doing here. Warily picking her up, he flew her down the small cliff, since the slide wouldn't be any help if she were hurt.

********

Sonic, Knuckles, and the Chaotix had been searching fruitlessly for the Emerald throughout the night. Knuckles was just about to call off the search until the storm blew over, when he heard Vector and Sonic's joint cry of 'Found it!'. Knuckles turned his glide so that he would land near the others, relieved that the Emerald had been found.

_"Wait… weren't Sonic and Vector looking on opposite sides? Yeah… they were… So how could they both find the Emerald?" _Knuckles thought, doubt rising.

Once the Chaotix and Sonic had found each other again, Knuckles asked to see the emerald. Almost simultaneously, Sonic and Vector held out two emeralds, Sonic's was a bright ruby red, while the one Vector held was a dark shade of emerald green that faded into black around the edges.

Knuckles stared at both emeralds, positive that only one had 'blinked'. Something about the darker one nagged at the back of his mind. It seemed vaguely familiar, even though he'd never seen it before. Too exhausted to be troubled by it right then, he decided to take them back to the shrine of the Master Emerald to look at later.

********

Her mind swimming through various states of consciousness, the amber colored fox felt a vague flying sensation, although whether from hunger or some other force she couldn't have said. After several moments of struggling to wake, images began to whirl through her head, some familiar, some new, but none were identifiable as real or dream-like. The two-tail seemed familiar, perhaps he was the one she was searching for. Beside him stood a half robotic rabbit, a walrus, and a pink hedgehog, among others, all obviously worried about something and all obviously new to her.

"Wha…? Huh…? Where _am_ I…? Who are all of you…?" the mystery fox groaned looking around the room at the crowd surrounding her as she attempted to sit up, her gray cloak seemingly not noticed yet due to the fact she was still wearing it.

"My name's Tails." The two-tail replied. "I found you outside our village, and was worried you were hurt, so I brought you back with me. This is Amy, Rotor, Bunnie Rabbot…" he continued, introducing each of them in turn and pointing to each as he said their name. "Where are you from anyway? How did you manage to find our village?" he added as an afterthought.

The amber fox shook her head and tried to focus. "Uhhnnn… Sorry I'm a bit out of it right now… I have traveled so far and so often that I barely remember where I'm from. A few years back I heard rumors about one of the few people from my birth-village living here in Knothole. Over the past few years, I've been searching for this one… If I remember right, I think his name was Miles. I'm not sure though. Perhaps he knows of what happened to our home, if this is so, I wish very much to find out. As to how did I find this place, I was wandering, and was slightly tired and in need of rest. Past that, I couldn't say. But where are my manners? My name is Amber, I hope I haven't caused you too much trouble." the newcomer said. Feeling suddenly dizzy, Amber was forced to lie down, whereupon she fainted again.

"Oh mah stars, lookit tha poor gal… A bit out of it? She looks half stahved! Ah'll be right back, Ah'm gonna git her somethin' ta eat when she comes to agin." Bunnie whispered to Sally upon noticing how thin Amber looked, and promptly disappeared out the door.

********

The Mobian moon hung suspended in the dark sky, barely a sliver in the shadows of the clouds. Most of Knothole was dark, the only light being an occasional chance moonbeam that found its way through the dense forest canopy above.

Not far away from Knothole, Void continued his search of the Great Forest. He had recently found newly made footprints, and had decided to investigate. The tracks twisted and turned, as if the one who had made them had been half lost. Still, a lead was a lead, and this was the first sign of sentient life that he'd seen in the forest in the past several days.

Just when Void was ready to believe that the creature had indeed been lost, the tracks ended suddenly at a small cliff, and another pair began. Upon closer examination, he saw that the new pair of tracks had came from a similar direction, but the owner had been more sure of him or herself. There was a depression in the dark grass where the first pair of tracks, a fox of some sort by the shape of the outline, had lay down. Strangely though, there was no crushed grass or marks to show the creature had moved from the spot, except for several small depressions near the edge. They were too big to be finger marks, but not big enough to be footprints.

Perplexed, Void made his way carefully down the small cliff to see if the tracks continued at the bottom.

********

Tossing her pillow at the side of her hut, Amy gave up on sleep and decided to get some fresh air. Dropping to the floor, she silently crossed over to her dresser, so as not to wake Amber. There had been much debate about where she would stay until they knew what to do, and Amy had agreed to let Amber stay at her house. Tossing on her clothes, Amy slipped out the door and headed for a stump bench that she liked to use for thinking.

The small bits of moonlight that did make it through the trees cast eerie shadows on the ground, and the night air was crisp and still, almost as if Mobius itself were waiting for something to happen. With an involuntary shiver, Amy sat down, putting her head in her arms. She had only meant to do some thinking, but before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

********

After a slow, painstaking climb down, Void had indeed found the continuation of the trail. Moving with utmost care and silence, he pushed back the bushes to look around. What he saw made his metallic mouth twist into a smile. Small huts dotted the clearing that the greenery opened onto, and every sign of inhabitance was present. Void didn't know the place by sight, but he knew without a doubt that this was Knothole, the secret haven of the Freedom Fighters.

Activating his cloaking mechanism, Void walked slowly around the village. Curtains were pulled across the insides of all the windows. It would be too dangerous to just walk inside, the records he'd seen in Robotnik's database had told of thousands of SWATbots being torn to pieces in seconds by that hedgehog. What chance would he have alone? No. Better to wait it out.

Void searched, and recorded, every single detail into his memory banks for future reference as he searched. When he had collected enough data for the night, he decided to find a safe place for the night, one where he wouldn't be discovered. As Void walked, he pictured the praise that he would get from Robotnik. With any luck at all, he would get a place of honor among the elite ranks of 'bots.

Turning a corner, Void nearly ran slap bang into a sleeping hedgehog. Deciding to take no chances, he stunned the creature with a electro-pulse and grabbed it under one metallic clawed arm. He knew the stun wouldn't last long, and the hedgehog would attempt to gain freedom when it awoke. From Void's perspective, only one option remained. Setting his navigation system to display the shortest route back to Robotropolis, he turned on his boosters and flew off.


	8. Enter Robotropolis

A/R: Yeah, yeah, I know... Been a while. I'm gettin there, I promise. I've been busy with SATs and school and other aspects of life. Aaanyway... *think* It's gonna start gettin better from here on out, I promise. Oh, and Sonic and Dreadlocks are gonna sorta fade from this story, because there's a whole 'nother plot that's gonna happen with that. You'll see. Also, it has been brought to my attention that Void was the badnik in Sonic Shuffle. This is *not* that Void. I have never played SS and I thought Void to be an original. Ah well, win some, lose some. Technically I do own this Void, unless (which with my luck is possible) I have accidentally re-created the SS one. If someone can prove this, then he's free to use. If not, I hold claim on him. I think that's all for now. MTP, out. Now get readin'! ;P  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
Back in Robotropolis, Robotnik gleefully read over the message that was displayed on Void's status panel. Void had found Knothole and captured a hedgehog. Once the robot returned with the hostage, then the fun would begin. Times like this called for celebration.  
  
"SNIVELY! WHERE ARE YOU?" Robotnik called, wondering where his nephew had gotten to this time.  
  
"C-c-c-coming sir!" came the nervous sounding response from nearby. With a smirk, Robotnik sat down in his control chair, malicious plans swirling throughout his brain. What to do first... Roboticize the hedgehog? No, he would have more fun if he held Sonic ransom. But how much would he make the 'Freedom Fighters' pay for their so-called 'Hero?' Perhaps he should let Snively do the honors, a break would be nice.  
  
"Y-y-yes s-sir?" Snively stuttered from the doorway, glancing around nervously. "D-did you n-need me?"  
  
"Ahhh... Snively, my favorite nephew. Sit down... I need your advice." Robotnik replied as he turned his chair to see Snively standing in the doorway. "I need to ask you something. You may speak freely, without any fear of angering me. However, I diverge. What I must ask you is this: What would you do if I told you that I was considering letting you destroy Knothole Village?"  
  
Snively's heart froze, suspecting a trap. His uncle had never been a such a mood as this. Never in his memory did he remember being offered a chance to do something this big. But...was it a sincere offer, or did it have a condition? "S-s-sir? M-m-me? Destroy Knothole, sir? B-b-but... I thought we don't know where Knothole is…?"  
  
Robotnik chuckled at his nephew's comment. "Yes... We did have that problem at one point, didn't we? Yes, I'm considering letting you destroy Knothole. Void has captured a hedgehog, supposedly Sonic, along with the location of their village. So now, I ask you... Do you want to destroy Knothole? No conditions, no penalties if you fail, only opportunity. You see... Now that we know where they hide, we can strike at any time, whereas they can't."  
  
"Y-y-yes sir! I would be honored!" Snively exclaimed, unable to stop himself. Well, if it was a trap, it was too late now. Best to take it at face value.  
  
Robotnik laughed, slapping Snively on the back. "I'll be plotting evil schemes in the War Room if you need me!" With that, Robotnik stood and walked out of the room.  
  
Snively's head was spinning. This was an actual opportunity... Robotnik really meant what he said. Hearing a hiss of closing security gates and the sounds of a struggle, Snively stood and turned to face Void.  
  
"Let... Me... GO! You creep! I'll tell Tails!" Amy Rose kicked and screamed, punctuating each word with a solid whack of her Piko Piko Hammer, while Void looked to Snively for instruction. Your orders sir? came Void's metallic voice.  
  
Snively grinned maliciously. She wasn't Sonic, but from the sounds of things, Amy would do just as well, if not better. From the sounds of things, he could use Amy as bait to capture Tails, and Tails would serve as bait for Sonic. Oh the rewards that he would get!  
  
"Tails, you say? Not that two tailed freak you keep bottled up in Knothole for fear the world should see him?" Snively droned in a bored voice, carefully watching the captive's reaction.  
  
"Don't you talk about my Tails that way, you evil creep! Where's Robotnik? I demand to be released!" Amy screamed, swiping viciously at Snively with her hammer.  
  
Sidestepping the assault, Snively chuckled inwardly. Yes... This would do just fine. "You demand... How cute. Well, Amy, I'm afraid it can't work that way. You see, the generous Doctor Robotnik has graciously offered me the opportunity to obliterate the little village you scum call home, and I'm not about to let this opportunity go to waste. In fact... I was thinking that you might be willing to help me. From what I hear you saying, you would be willing to help me capture Tails. Wonderful! Then it'll be less painful for me once I get around to roboticizing him! Void! Lock this one in a cage, and bring the cage in here, I feel an evil scheme coming on!"  
  
Amy froze instantly, horrified at Snively's words. Destroy Knothole? Roboticize Tails? "No! I won't let you do this, you... you... you monster!" Amy flailed, lashing out with her hammer. "You can't do this! You can't you can't you can't!"  
  
"Oh but I can, Miss Rose," came Snively's bored reply. "Why are you still here? Can you not follow orders Void? I said get going!" Snively leaned back in his uncle's huge chair. How to carry this out... First, he would send a message to Knothole to try and tempt the freak to come on his own. "Computer! Open communications link with Knothole Village!"   
  
********  
  
Tails poked his head worriedly into Amy's hut. "Amy? You there?" Tails called nervously.  
  
"She's not here." Came Amber's voice from inside. Tails stepped inside to see for himself.  
  
"Amber? Hey... Have you seen Amy? She told me she was gonna wake me up early to show me something but I haven't seen her yet today..." Tails trailed off mid-sentence.  
  
"I think I heard her go out for some fresh air last night, but I haven't seen her since. Sorry Miles." Amber replied, looking out the window.  
  
Tails froze. "What... What did you just say?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You... You just called me... You just called me Miles! No one but Sonic and Sally know my first name! How..." Tails trailed off.  
  
"Miles... You remember what I said when I came here, right?" Amber asked. Tails' only response was a confused nod.  
  
"You said you were looking for someone from your birth village... But..." Tails' eyes opened wide. "Where were you born...?" he asked suspiciously.  
  
Amber's eyes met Tails' as she replied. "In the same hut as you... Brother."  
  
Tails stared at Amber, disbelieving. "But... But... But... How...?" Tails stammered, suddenly realizing why she seemed familiar. "I thought everyone had died when the village was destroyed..."  
  
Amber looked at the floor, purposely averting her eyes, as well as her answer. "So did I..."  
  
Tails stepped closer to Amber, half expecting to wake up from the dream any second. "How... How did you survive?"  
  
"I...had gone out of the village for something, and while I was gone, I heard a terrible sound. I ran back as fast as I could, only to find the whole place in flames... I... I thought everyone had died... I don't really know..." Amber collapsed onto Tails' shoulder, sobbing. "I was so lonely..."  
  
"Tails...? Are... Are you nearby?" Sally's voice drifted in from outside, sounding extremely worried. "Tails...?"  
  
"Sally? What's wrong?" Tails called back, still somewhat stunned from the fact that his sister had seemingly walked out of the mists of death, back into the realm of the living.  
  
"Tails... We're receiving a message from Robotropolis that I think you should see..."  
  
"Alright," he replied. "You coming Amber...sis?" he asked, turning back to Amber, who nodded.  
  
********  
  
Snively grinned maliciously at the assorted Freedom Fighters from his uncle's chair. "Greetings, worthless scum..." he began in a bored drawl, raising his voice over a commotion in the background.  
  
"What does Robotnik want this time? He's not getting the Emeralds, and he definitely can't get rid of us." Tails shot back, before Snively had a chance to say more.  
  
"Oh it's not what he wants this time, freak... Now it's what I want." Snively replied with an annoyed glance at Tails.  
  
"Ah, shut yer trap Sniffles, and crawl back ta the hole ya were born in!" Bunnie interjected.  
  
"My, my, my... Such offensive language. Perhaps you need an incentive to behave... Void!" Snively snapped his fingers, and a clanking of metal on metal was heard before the noise of yelling became clear.  
  
"You monster! Let me go! Tails! Help! He's going to-" Amy's screams were cut short when she collapsed into a heap behind the bars of her cage.  
  
"What did you do to her?" screamed Tails, lunging for the display.  
  
"Tsk, tsk... If you want her, come and get her... Tails." Snively spat the name out like it left a bad aftertaste in his mouth. "Now, down to business. If you ever want to see Miss Rose again, I suggest that you, Tails, come to Robotropolis...alone. If you bring any of your friends, then I might just have to kill them. Understand?"  
  
Tails nodded slowly, his eyes narrowed, anger barely in check. Bunnie and Sally still stood nearby in case he tried to attack the equipment again.  
  
As the projection flickered off, Tails turned for the door, only to be stopped by Amber, who had appeared in front of him, eyes pleading him not to go. Slowly shaking his head, he forced his way around her and sped out of the door as fast as he could go, heading for Robotropolis. His mind raced, millions of possibilities swimming through his head. What if he was too late? What if Snively had killed her...or worse?  
  
As he passed out of the Great Forest, into the wastelands that separated Knothole from Robotropolis, Tails saw the toxic city on the horizon. The only thing he could do right now was pray that he wasn't too late. With Sonic supposedly on vacation, and Knuckles on the Floating Island, he, Tails, was the only one who could possibly save Amy.  
  
********  
  
The sun had long gone down by the time Tails reached Robotropolis, and his doubts were starting to rise. The SWATbots didn't seem to be on patrol, the security gate was down, and even the patrol-bots weren't flying patrol. Tails landed inside the gates, and began making his way to the heart of the city, where Robotnik and Snively oversaw their evil operations. Around the city, the entrance gates slammed shut, locks hissing, but Tails was too worried for Amy to be afraid for himself.  
  
As he arrived at the entrance to Robotnik's headquarters, the door hissed open. Stepping into the building, Tails began to search for the area where Amy was being held. As he turned a corner, he came face to face with a robot that looked almost exactly like Sonic. The robot wordlessly motioned him to follow.  
  
As he followed the robot, Tails took the opportunity to check the rooms they passed for signs of Amy, nearly crashing into the 'bot when it stopped suddenly. Glancing at it, he saw that it was pointing towards the room on their right. Nodding, Tails stepped inside.  
  
"Tails! Look out!" Amy was silenced by a glare from Snively.  
  
"Welcome fox. I see you do care for her after all." Snively droned. "If you want to save her badly enough to have come all this way alone like I asked, then perhaps you're willing to go farther..."  
  
"What do you want Snively?" Tails wasn't in the mood for small talk, let alone Snively's version of it.  
  
"I want to kill you all, but I'm willing to let you supposed friends gather in one place so that it will be easier for me." Snively pressed a button on a small remote, causing the door to shut behind them with a sigh and a hiss of the lock. Another press of the button caused a hole to open in the ceiling and a hollow glass tube to fall on top of Tails. "You see... Dr. Robotnik has offered me the opportunity to destroy Knothole, and I'm not going to have it ruined by the likes of you."  
  
"TAILS!" Amy shrieked, pounding fiercely on the bars of her cage. "NO!"  
  
Snively cackled maliciously, and pressed the remote one more time. Smoke slowly billowed into the capsule, obscuring Snively and Amy's view. Yelling words that had no sound, Tails desperately tried to shatter the container, but to no avail. The glass wouldn't break, and he felt his feet turning to cold metal. The smoke had reached the top of the tube by now, and Tails was starting to feel light-headed. The last thing he heard before he passed out was Snively's maniacal laugh and Amy's scream of defiance. 


	9. Awaken the Power Within

Tears flowed unchecked down Amy's cheeks as she stared at the machine that had once been Tails. No... That wasn't right. The machine that was Tails. He was still there, trapped inside of that metal shell. The worst part was that there was nothing that she could do to help him. She couldn't escape the cage, no matter how hard she tried, and even if she could, how would she know how to reverse the roboticization process?

A loud clang echoed through the base, as Amy swung her hammer at the bars of her cage in a fit of rage at the injustice of the whole situation, causing Tails to glance in her direction, robotic eyes glowing indifferently. Amy shivered. Those eyes... Did he even recognize her? A sob escaped Amy's lips as she looked away. She hated those eyes... That metal shell... She just had to figure out some way to help Tails. He didn't deserve to be a robot.

Amy miserably curled up into a ball in the corner of her cage, suddenly exhausted. Her eyelids felt like lead weights, and it felt like her heart was going to break. She lay there for what seemed like an eternity, chest heaving, and tears hot on her face. Gradually, her breathing became slower and more steady, and her sobs less audible.

--------

Amy's eyes fluttered open. The room was dark, and Tails appeared to be asleep. Well, as asleep as a robot could get. A tear rolled unnoticed down her cheek as she imagined what poor Tails must be going through. It couldn't be later than one or two in the morning at the very latest. Vaguely she wondered what had woken her up, when a faint red light caught her eye, contrasting harshly with the dull, monotone grays of the walls and floor.

Quietly, she edged over to the glow, her curiosity getting the better of her. The source of the glow seemed to be lying on the ground outside her cage. Stretching her arm through the bars of the cage, she felt around for the glow. Eventually, her hand landed on the strange thing. Closing her fingers around it, she moved over towards a faint patch of light coming from a monitor left on, likely forgotten. As she edged the item into the light, she gasped.

"A Chaos Emerald! Maybe I can use this to help Tails! I'd better keep this secret..." Quickly, she pocketed it, failing to notice the way it faded from ruby red into the black of shadows around the edges.

Yawning, Amy tried to find a comfortable spot to go back to sleep in. If she didn't sleep, she'd be too tired to help Tails when the time came. She'd find some way to get him deroboticized, and nothing would stop her.

--------

Reluctantly, a new day dawned gray and gloomy over Robotropolis. Amy tossed fitfully in her sleep. Suddenly, she shot straight up into a sitting position. Gasping, she looked around and sighed. It was only a nightmare thank goodness... Eventually, her eyes settled on Tails. He just sat there... Amy knew he was only in power save mode, but it looked so much like he was dead... A soft sob escaped her lips. Shifting her position on the cold metal cage floor, she felt something poke her from her pocket. Carefully, she pulled it out. It was the Emerald she'd found last night. However, now that there was enough light to see by, she noticed the gradual fade from ruby red to shadow black. It glowed eerily... The glow couldn't be described as a light, because it wasn't. It was more like an aura of shadow or something.

Glancing at Tails, she saw he was now 'awake,' and quickly pocketed it again for safety. A low rumble from her stomach made her realize she was starving. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd eaten a decent meal. She knocked on the cage to try and get Tails' attention.

"Tails?" Her voice was shaky and quiet. "Tails? Can you hear me?"

Tails glanced indifferently towards her with those eyes she hated so much, causing Amy to shiver involuntarily.

"I'm hungry... May I have something to eat please?"

Tails watched her for a few moments, and then walked out of the room. Amy curled up pitifully on the hard metal cage bottom. She hated every inch of this place. Ever since she had found herself in this dreadful place, she had felt like she was going to drown in sorrow. It was as if the city was able to just drain the hope right out of one's soul, leaving nothing but a black pit of despair. The sound of metal moving brought her out of her reverie. Turning towards the door, she saw Tails enter with a tray of... something. It didn't look like food, but it didn't look like anything else, either. Tails approached the cage and bent down to slip the tray in. Suddenly, he froze in mid-bend and his eyes flickered between blue and red rapidly. Amy stared for a moment, and a shadow in her pocket caught her eye. Quickly, she pulled out the weird Emerald. It was glowing with a strange darkness; now almost pitch black, with the faintest hint of ruby in the center. Suddenly, it flared up, and Amy heard Tails' metallic voice.

"W... w... what... what happened? Amy? What..." Tails glanced around, unconsciously setting the tray of food down.

Amy's head snapped to look at Tails. His eyes were blue instead of that creepy red right now. "Tails?! Tails! Is that really you? That's not the robot?"

"Robot? What..." His voice trailed off and he slowly raised his hand, afraid of what he'd see. "Oh lord... I'm... I'm..." Amy knew that he was crying, even if he couldn't show it.

"We'll find a way to fix it Tails!" Amy hoped she sounded more certain than she felt. "Let me out of here and let's get back to Knothole. Rotor, Bunnie, or Sir Charles might be able to help..."

Tails nodded. He fumbled with the lock for several minutes, half dazed. Eventually the lock clicked and fell off, and the cage door slowly swung open. Amy grabbed her hammer and slipped out. Tails stood silent, starting at his robotic hand.

"Come on Tails... We've got to hurry!" Amy's voice was no louder than a whisper, and she was glancing around rapidly.

"A...alright..." Tails shook himself mentally. Amy was right. They had to get out of there, or else they'd be in much bigger trouble.

--------

Tails stared at his hand as he walked. Metal. Robot. Roboticized. But if he was roboticized he shouldn't have free will... Robotnik would have made sure of that. But he definitely was a robot. Something was seriously wrong, and Tails was extremely glad that whatever it was, wasn't working right.

"Amy?" Tails paused. She winced whenever she looked at him. He knew she didn't mean to, but it still bothered him. "Amy... What... What happened back there?"

Amy just shook her head. Well, if she didn't want to talk about it, he wasn't going to force her. "Will you at least tell me what that dark flash I saw was?"

"You mean that dark red shadow thing?"

"I think so. I saw a flash of dark red light, and then I was me again... I can't figure out what that light was though."

Amy walked silently for a few moments, and then reached into her dress and pulled out a dark red Chaos Emerald. Tails stared at it. It couldn't be the real thing... But it was too similar to be a coincident.

"I think this is what you're talking about... This... This... Shadow Emerald. I found it back...back there. When you came over to me, it started...glowing...strangely, and then I heard your voice. I think this Shadow Emerald is what's behind this."

Tails looked at it closely. "May I see it?"

"Sure Tails. Here."

Tails gently accepted the Shadow Emerald. It glowed with a strange light... But what was even stranger was that the energy it was emitting felt oddly...familiar. Like he'd felt it before even. Where though... It didn't feel like the energy the Chaos Emeralds gave off, and it certainly wasn't the same feeling as the Master Emerald, but if not either of them, then where? Suddenly, the dark aura flared up. His vision went dark and a strange voice echoed through his ears.

_"THE TIME HAS COME FOR THE SHADOW EMERALDS TO BE AWAKENED. THE GUARDIAN MUST FIND THE POWER."_

"Tails? Tails! What's wrong?!"

Tails opened his eyes. Amy stood nearby, looking extremely worried. "A...Amy?"

"Tails! What happened? The Shadow Emerald flared up and you went all weird!"

Tails blinked. "I... I don't know. It spoke to me."

"It...spoke to you?"

"Yeah… The Guardian must find the power... Do you think it means Knuckles?"

Amy raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure... We need to get you home though. Come on."

--------

"For the last time Sonic Hedgehog, stand still!"

"But what if he's in trouble!"

Sally sighed. Sonic could be so impatient at times. Sally, Rotor, Bunnie, and Amber, were gathered around the table of Sally's hut, while Sonic paced the floor.

"If there is, there's nothing we can do right now. This might be exactly what he wants."

"C'mon Sally, what're the odds of that? We all know Snively couldn't reason his way out of a paper bag!"

"Y'all might wanna calm down shuga-hog. Bein on yer high horse won't get Tails back any faster."

"Bunnie's right Sonic. Tails can take care of himself." Rotor tinkered idly with a machine while he spoke. "He's not a little kid anymore."

Sonic threw up his hands in exasperation. His little buddy was in trouble, and all he was allowed to do was sit and wait.

"But Sal-"

"Sonic Hedgehog..." Sally didn't sound angry yet, but her voice definitely carried a warning tone. Maybe it was best to let her cool down before he tried again.

"Sally? Sonic? Bunnie? Rotor? Is anyone here?" Amy's voice drifted in through the open window, along with a chill winter wind.

"Amy?"

Sally's door slowly creaked open, revealing Amy standing in the doorway.

"Amy-girl! Y'all're alright! What happened? Where's Tails? Y'all aren't hurt, are y'all? ...Amy-girl, what's wrong?"

Amy wiped away a stray tear, and motioned for them to follow. "There... There's something you should... should see."

When everyone had gathered outside the cottage, Amy disappeared into the bushes. Several moments passed, and eventually a rustling was heard signaling her return. As the bushes parted, she stepped out, followed by Tails.

"Oh my God... Tails... What happened?!"

"Tails! What happened to y'all?!"

"Tails! No! What happened?"

"Man... If only the deroboticizer was fixed..."

Sonic slowly approached Tails, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Tails... What... What happened?"

Tails pulled away slightly, turning his head to stare off into the bushes silently. "I... I don't want to talk about it," he replied quietly.

"...Alright big guy. I understand." Sonic patted Tails on the back twice. "Don't worry, we'll fix you up."

Tails' only reply was a silent stare towards the bushes.

"Sonic. Sonic, over here." Sally motioned for Sonic to come over to where Bunnie, Rotor and she were standing.

"What's up Sal?"

"Sonic, Tails probably needs some time alone. Remember how it was when Uncle Chuck got roboticized?"

Sonic nodded. "Yeah... Alright. Let's go then." As they turned to go, Sonic paused, and walked slowly back over to Tails.

"Don't worry big guy. We'll think of something. Just wait, you'll see."

Silently, Tails nodded and headed back towards their hut with Amy.


End file.
